This invention relates to a method for the production of a syrup from which is prepared a soft drink containing cow's milk and having stable white turbidity resembling that of cow's milk.
Filling techniques popularly employed in the production of a soft drink fall under two large kinds of processes of a post-mix process and a pre-mix process. In the post-mix process, a measured volume of prepared syrup is poured into a container as the container passes under the syrup filler. Then the container is conveyed to the second filler, at which diluting water or carbonated water delivered from a carbonator is added in a fixed volume to the container. After that, the container is capped In contrast in the pre-mix process, required amounts of prepared syrup and water are automatically and continuously measured out. The measured liquids are mixed, cooled and, when it is necessary, carbonated prior to conveyance to the filler. The mixed liquid thus obtained is immediately forwarded to the filler, at which it is placed in each container and sealed with a cap. The prepared syrup to be used in the production of a soft drink is generally diluted with water or carbonated water to a volume three to four times the original volume to become the final product. Generally in the production of a carbonated beverage, the raw materials other than carbonic acid gas and diluting water are invariably supplied in the form of a mixed prepared syrup. Only in this way, commercialization of the production can be accomplished.
It is desirable from the nutritional point of view that a soft drink contains cow's milk. The state in which a protein contained in a drink exists, has a profound effect upon the flavor of that drink. In the case of a carbonated drink, when the protein exists in a suspended state, namely, when it is uniformly dispersed in the form of fine particles to give the drink the appearance of white uniform turbidity, it serves to mitigate the stimulus of carbon dioxide, renders the taste of the drink mild and gives forth refreshing sensation. If the protein remains in a soluble state, the drink tastes stale so that the refreshing sensation is degraded and the palatability is spoiled. In an acidic solution containing cow's milk, milk protein tends to coagulate and undergo precipitation in the absence of a stabilizer, rendering the stable retention of white turbidity difficult to achieve.